5 Times Capt Hart Loved Ianto & 1 He Really Did
by Serpentira
Summary: 5 Time Capt. John Hart Loved Ianto Jones & 1 Time He Really, Really Did- Every interaction of their's was like a dance. All harsh banter and witty repartee, and a longing for the very same man. - AU Ianto/John; John/Jack, Ianto/Jack implied. slash Oneshot


**Again, not really sure what happened here, but a companion piece to '5 Times Ianto Jones Didn't Love Captain John Hart, and 1 He Did' was just begging to be done.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Torchwood they'd visit their Canadian counterparts once in a while. Since they don't I suppose you can guess that it isn't mine.**

5 Times Captain John Hart Loved Ianto Jones, and 1 He Really, Really Did

1.

It was simple desire that caused him to pin the other man to the tunnel wall, or at least that was what he told himself at the time. Tearing away the other's clothes he allowed himself to explore the skin he'd been craving. As his hands were sliding lower he caught the other man's eyes, and saw something in them that made him pause. He didn't want this, he really didn't want this. For the first time in what could have been forever he simply walked away, and that was the moment he knew he was in love.

2.

The second incident that stands out in his mind makes him flinch every time he recalls it. He hadn't wanted to, he thinks that in that moment he would have done just about anything else, but there hadn't really been a choice. If he hadn't been the one to hurt Ianto then the aliens that had captured them would have, and Ianto would almost certainly be dead. Still, he tries to check the blows, to leave marks and not deep injuries. When he returnes with help he almost dies inside at the look in the Welshman's eyes when their gazes meet. Seeing that level of hate he feels sick. How could he possibly do that to someone he loved?

3.

There was so much blood, and his own heart almost stopped beating. He ripped his own shirt off before he realised what he was doing, and used the fabric to stem the bleeding. Holding the other man as closely as he could in an effort to keep him warm he started whispering nonsensical things hoping that, on some level, he could hear him and was holding on. When he heard footsteps drawing closer and knew that Torchwood 3's other members had arrived he laid Ianto on the ground carefully. Placing a tender kiss to his forehead he disappeared into the shadows, the words "I love you" hanging in the air above the injured Welshman.

4.

He still isn't sure what possessed him to corner Ianto like that, to kiss him and cling to him like he couldn't get enough. He knows he can't have been thinking properly when he did it because Jack walks in and there's shouting and then he's gone and Ianto looks so upset, so broken, and it just about kills him. So he goes and talks to Jack, tells him it was all him and not Ianto and 'don't punish him for something he didn't do he really loves you'. When he sees them later Jack's apologized and Ianto looks okay, but he won't meet his eyes and even though he regrets it he can still feel those temptingly delicious lips on his own. As he exits the room he tells himself that this has to end, that he can't keep doing this to himself. 'If you love something let it go,' he thinks that's how the saying went, but watching such an old piece of his heart walking away with another that he's come to love he knows it's not that easy. They never bother to tell you just how much it hurts to do the right thing.

5.

"Eye Candy." He knew Ianto hated the term, but he also knew it was accurate. It had started as a teasing comment, something to off-balance him and make him question his position in Jack's life. Now though, he used it as a shield between himself and the other man. If he called him by such an impersonal name he could pretend this was just lust, could pretend it didn't hurt to see the man he loved standing wrapped in his ex-lover's arms.

* * *

Seeing Ianto curled up on the couch like that leaves him feeling somewhat broken inside. He knows that what happened to his teammates is his fault, and he also knows that the tea he is now instinctively offering the other man will do nothing to change that. He's not sure what prompts him to speak, but once he does he realises that he's spoken the truth.

"I'm sorry."

When Ianto responds with, "It's not your fault," he lets out a choked laugh. How can he even say that, of course it's his fault. "Ok," the other man says in answer, "maybe it was because of you, maybe you should have done something different but..." he trails off, and he almost doesn't catch what he says next. "I'm just glad you're okay."

Those simple words are enough to make him freeze. After all of this, he actually cared about him, cared whether or not he survived? It's like the softly spoken admission was all that was needed for his heart to burst painfully back into life, and he's pulling the other man into his arms, holding him tight as they both break down. When their breathing isn't as shaky and he thinks he might be able to speak without completely choking up, he makes an admission of his own.

"I do love him," the words are soft, dancing past the Welshman's ear. He does love Jack, loves him so much he thinks it might kill him some days. Loves him so much he crossed time and space to find him, had wanted to protect him, save him, but he loves Ianto too, even if he can't always explain why.

"So do I," and that, he thinks, is part of it. They both love Jack so much they'd die for him, not that he needs that. As the exhaustion and strain of the last 48 hours catch up with them one last though slips through his mind. 'Jack doesn't need us to die for him, but he needs Ianto, and Ianto needs him, and I know I'd die to keep Ianto safe, but maybe, just maybe, since Jack doesn't need anyone dying for him, Ianto and I can help each other live for him instead.'


End file.
